Nope, Oprah Winfrey hasn't locked up TV's most high-profile hosting gig — the Oscars — just yet.
Despite online reports Friday, the small-screen superstar (whose eponymous show ended its 25-year run in May) and mogul is not in talks to host the 84th Annual Academy Awards in February 2012.
"It's not true, and I don't know where that story even came from," Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told The Hollywood Reporter.
"You have to remember how it works," Sherak explained of the hiring process. "First, I have to hire a producer, and then the producer comes to the Academy with suggestions for the host. So how could we have a host without a producer?"
Still, Sherak conceded: "The camera loves Oprah. Oprah's a genius."
Two folks who will likely not be in contention for next year's hosting gig? Anne Hathaway and James Franco, whose co-hosting turn at this year's Oscars telecast was widely panned.
Nominated in 1986 for a Best Supporting Actress trophy, Winfrey appeared at the 2011 show to present the Oscar for best Documentary feature.
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